Kerry Washington takes risks "all the time" on ‘Scandal’.
The Emmy Award-nominated starlet says her role as political fixer Olivia Pope is enormously challenging to her as an actress as the character – who is having an affair with the president of the United States – is "flawed" and has many different shades to her.
Kerry explained: "Olivia is such a revered character – we want to see her as all-powerful and all-knowing and yet she’s enormously flawed. Taking a hero and revealing her dark side – her flaws and humanity – is an exciting creative risk for me."
The 37-year-old actress feels there are very few complex roles available for women and says it’s "exciting" to play a character that is different.
She added: "I think we feel underrepresented in different forms of media, or as people of colour – there’s a longing for those characters to be perfect. To say, ‘No, I’m not supposed to be an upstanding citizen for all women or a role model for all people of colour. I’m going to be a human being: three dimensional, messy and alive – both powerful and a little bit of a mess.’ Now that’s exciting."
Kerry recently earned her second Emmy nomination for playing Olivia but she admits she doesn’t get "caught up" in awards hysteria.
She told Stylist magazine: "I love what I do and being able to do it is the most important thing to me."
‘Scandal’ Season 3 starts on July 31 at 9pm on Sky Living.
Kerry Washington’s ‘risky’ role on Scandal
